View full sizeExpress-Times Photo | JOE GILLThere was a partial roof collapse at the former Bergen Machine & Tool Co. Inc. in Hackettstown.

Hackettstown officials are optimistic the potential redevelopment of the former Bergen Machine & Tool Co. Inc. complex will not be hampered following the collapse of part of its roof Wednesday.

The damaged portion, however, will either have to be repaired or torn down within a month, according to the town's building inspector.

Police have attributed the damage to a broken water line that soaked and weakened support beams. Hackettstown's fire marshal is investigating why no alarms sounded when the roughly 25- to 40-square-foot section of the roof came down.

"They could remove the portion that's unsafe and still retain a substantial portion of the structure," said Hackettstown Clerk/Administrator William Kuster. "The main portion of the building ... I don't think was affected at all. It was the additions to that existing structure" that were damaged.

Zoning plans for the site approved last year included preserving the building's front -- formerly offices for Bergen Tool administrators -- and converting it into retail and office space, if a developer were to step forward.

Bergen Tool still owns the property. It has sat unused since the company relocated to Mountain Top, Pa., in 2003. The town building inspector the day of the collapse issued a "notice of unsafe structure" to the company, according to a copy of the notice provided to The Express-Times.

The notice requires the wrecked portion of the building to either be repaired or demolished by March 9, pending any appeals. Failure to do so could result in a fine of $2,000 per week.

A Bergen Tool clerk at the Mountain Top headquarters said Thursday no one was available to comment.

Utility discovered damage

Hackettstown police Detective Darren Tynan said a water line for a sprinkler system burst, possibly due to freezing temperatures. The pressure of the spraying water on what he described as rotting wooden roof supports and the added weight of freezing ice on the beams started a "domino effect," causing the supports to fail in the rear and collapse forward.

"It wouldn't have taken much," Tynan said.

The damage went unnoticed until workers from the Hackettstown Municipal Utilities Authority went to the building to check out fluctuating water-use readings from the burst pipe, he said.

The town fire marshal is investigating why no alarms went off after the collapse, Tynan said. An investigation is continuing into any charges.

Urgency seen for plan

Hackettstown Councilwoman Maria DiGiovanni said she believes a significant portion of the building will be able to be preserved for a future developer.

"I don't see a big impact on the redevelopment," she said. "I think the plan we approved last year will still be able to be done."

The plan calls for mixed-use development, with first-level commercial and retail space and residential space above, totaling 99 homes. The plan also includes at least 3 acres of open space.

Hackettstown Business Improvement Director David Rucki, while not involved in creating the redevelopment plan, said Wednesday's collapse is a signal that a developer is needed soon to make the plan a reality.

"It's just a reminder that we need to find a suitable solution for that property. The sooner, the better," Rucki said, adding the site is not just stagnant but now dangerous.